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The global “carbon budget” quantifies the amount of carbon dioxide emissions we can emit while still having a chance of limiting global temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
If emissions continue unabated, the world is on track to exceed this budget in only about 30 years—exposing communities to increasingly dangerous forest fires, extreme weather, drought, and other climate impacts.
Check out this infographic by the World Resources Institute for information on what the carbon budget is, what impacts we can expect if we exceed it, and what actions the world can take to stay within it.
Click on the magnifying glass at the top right of the infographic to open a larger version.